John Bardes Archives - 64 Parishes

Carceral City: Slavery and the Making of Mass Incarceration in New Orleans, 1803-1930 by John Bardes is the 2025 Book of the Year

A self-emancipated maroon who lived in the swamps surrounding New Orleans during the 1830s, Bras Coupé has developed a powerful folkloric following.

Enslaved people endured brutal conditions on sugarcane and cotton plantations during the antebellum period.

During the antebellum period, Louisiana relied on the forced labor of enslaved people to work sugar and cotton plantations.

The story of free black sailors trapped in Louisiana’s slave prisons

Illegal free Black labor in antebellum New Orleans

Enslaved people in Louisiana’s cities were engaged in virtually every labor role, from domestic service to dentistry.

Enslaved people in Louisiana’s cities were engaged in nearly every labor role, from domestic service to dentistry.

John Bardes